Leechburg church kicks off fundraiser in hopes of reviving silent bell tower

The Rev. James Arter climbed a narrow ladder several stories Wednesday to reach the bell tower at First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Leechburg.

As he manually rang one of the 28 bells, the melodic tone produced by the nearly 3,500-pound bell brought a smile to his face — and sent a few parishioners scrambling on the church grounds below.

The sound brought the curious church members running from the nearby Clothing Closet outreach to the sanctuary.

“The bells are ringing?” asked one member.

“No, it’s the pastor up there ringing them,” answered longtime congregant Kathy Munko of Parks Township.

After ringing for more than 112 years, the church bells of First Evangelical Lutheran Church have remained silent since October because of a broken control box.

“To hear them again, it’s like Easter,” Arter said of his impromptu bell-ringing session. “To hear that sound echo through the Valley, it was a good feeling.”

Arter said things just aren’t the same around the church since the bells fell silent.

“It’s like a song of hope that’s been absent from the community,” he said.

Church members are hoping to restore the once familiar sounds with a bell tower fundraiser.

The bell system was installed in 1999, and replacing it will cost around $21,500.

But with the related work that will be needed — updates to electrical wiring, installation and refurbishing the bell strikers — the goal is to raise about $30,000.

“The added costs are not yet known to us but are expected to be significant,” Arter said.

The hard drive in the control box failed, and the parts for the system are no longer available, Arter said.

The control box had the capability to program songs and signal which bell would toll. Arter said the current one was damaged by a lightning strike, although the church can’t prove that, so insurance won’t cover the repairs.

“This is the most expensive thing and is basically the brain of the bells,” Arter said.

Munko, who grew up in Leechburg, has heard the bells chiming since 1949.

“When I was a little girl, I always loved them. It centered me to hear them every day. It was beautiful,” Munko recalled. “It centers you. All day long, you’re doing your thing, and at noon the bells ring. And it brings you back down to where we came from — God.”

For Munko, hearing that the bells were out of commission left her “devastated.”

She plans to volunteer for a June 11 fundraiser, which will feature a bassoon quartet.

“This isn’t something (just) our church wants,” Munko said. “It’s something that the community wants, too.”

The bells can be programmed to chime songs for Lent, Easter, Advent and Christmas. It can ring out patriotic tunes and even general songs.

Several bells in the 28-bell carillon hail from Holland.

A carillon consists of at least 23 harmonically tuned bells.

The sound is produced by the clapper in each bell that strikes a sound bow from the inside.

The carillon at First Evangelical Lutheran Church originally was installed in 1910 and contained just 10 bells. Eleven bells were added in 1986, and five bells were installed a year later. The last two bells were installed in 1989.

There are no plans to add more bells.

Rev. James Arter rings a bell in the bell tower Wed. at First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Leechburg. The bells (from 1910) haven’t rung since last Oct. due to a broken control box. Members hope to fundraise $30,000 to make the bells operational again. ⁦@VNDNews⁩ ⁦ pic.twitter.com/BvRng1MqIw

— Joyce Hanz (@hanz_joyce) April 19, 2023

Arter said the absence of the daily bell ringing, at noon and 6 p.m., is missed by the congregation and community members, near and far.

Church council president Sandy Smythe lives on a hilltop in Allegheny Township and always enjoyed hearing the bells while outside.

“My neighbors have all asked me: ‘Where’s your bells? We don’t hear them,’ ” Smythe said.

Church members hope to draw some nationwide attention — and donations.

Munko’s daughter, Patti Cline, 54, of Plymouth, N.C., plans to be one of those supporting from afar. She, too, has fond memories of hearing the bells as a youngster.

“When I would hear the bells in the middle of the day, it would redirect me back to God’s presence in my day,” Cline said.

Each of the bells in the carillon bears a memorial inscription.

Christine Fuller, 84, of Allegheny Township is a fourth-generation member of First Evangelical.

In 1986, Fuller attended the dedication ceremony for the tower’s 11 new bells, one of which was dedicated in memory of her late mother, Lena Shaner Kepple.

“Her life was an inspiration to her family, through these bells, it will be joy to others,” reads the inscription on Shaner Kepple’s bell.

The congregation of 100 people is invested in volunteering their time and efforts to raise enough money.

“This means so much to the congregation. I’ve never had anyone complain about the bells. This is all hands on deck,” Arter said.

To donate online, click here and choose “donate online,” then select “Bell Tower Fund.”

To make a donation by check, mail to First Evangelical Lutheran Church, 358 Main St., Leechburg, PA 15656.